New McAfee Cyberbullying Report reveals UK children could be a cyberbully, even if they don’t know it

·        Global study indicates UK children lack understanding and awareness of cyberbullying and may be the perpetrators of such behaviours

·        UK children report more cyberbullying from someone they know than from a stranger, uncovering the largest difference worldwide

 Wednesday 10 August – Today, McAfee, a leader in online protection, released its global Cyberbullying Report to fully understand the extent of cyberbullying children face and highlight gaps in how parents manage the issue. The report, ‘Cyberbullying in Plain Sight’, surveyed 11,687 parents and their children across 10 countries, where it indicates that children in the UK specifically lack an understanding of what cyberbullying is and what it isn’t. 7% of UK children claim they have not cyberbullied someone, yet 15% said they had excluded someone from a group chat.

The study aims to further McAfee’s commitment to helping connected families stay not only safe online but educated about behaviours that could put families at risk of serious online threats.

In the UK, four key trends emerged:

1. Children in the UK don’t fully understand cyberbullying: 

• When asked if they have cyberbullied someone themselves, the answer was a definitive no from 7% of UK children, far below the 18% global average.
• Yet 15% of UK children said they had excluded someone from a group chat, while also claiming to be the least likely to cyberbully at 93%, way above the global average of 81%.

2. Stranger is not the only danger: In the UK, children are far more likely to be cyberbullied by someone they know

• UK children reported twice as much cyberbullying from someone they know (58%) than from a stranger (24%), which marks the largest gap worldwide.
• 43% of UK children say they have been excluded from group chats or conversations, indicating the source of bullying is likely to be someone they know.

3. UK parents worry less than parents globally: Who is the cyberbully?

• 56% of UK parents worry their child is being cyberbullied while only 37% worry their child may be the bully. Both are far below the global average, where 74% worry their child is being cyberbullied and 58% worry their child is the bully.

4. Name calling and exclusion from communication are prevalent:

• In the UK, 56% of children reported they have suffered from name calling, significantly higher than 40% on the global average.
• Yet absence of communication is the second highest form, where exclusion from group chats and conversations was reported by 43% in the UK, higher than its European neighbours France and Germany at 31% and 32%, respectively.

5. Cyberbullying persists on Meta properties at a high rate:

• Though Meta has put together comprehensive resources for family safety on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger and taken steps to put additional protections and features in place, cyberbullying persists on Meta properties at the highest rates.
• Facebook leads the way with the highest rate of children both witnessing (53%) and experiencing (50%) cyberbullying worldwide, with Instagram coming in second where children report witnessing cyberbullying at 40% and experiencing cyberbullying at 30%.
• In the UK, 36% of children have witnessed cyberbullying on Facebook and 40% have experienced it themselves on this channel. Similarly, 41% of UK children have witnessed cyberbullying on WhatsApp.

“In today’s world parents must be more tech savvy than their children”, said Ross Ellis, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, STOMP Out Bullying. “Most social media sites require children to be age 13 and older to use these sites, yet the majority of parents are the ones who sign up their children under the age of 13 for these accounts. Kids under 13 are not mature enough to handle the online hatred, physical danger and predator events that occur online. Kids need to feel comfortable online and only with the help, communication and guidance of their parents can they feel safe. Cyberbullying can be dangerous, so it’s not a one and done conversation. Parents must maintain open communications on a regular basis”.

“While more than half of parents are talking to their children about different forms of cyberbullying, there is still more that needs to be done to understand the growing threat of online safety for children,” said Sachin Puri, Vice President of Marketing, McAfee. “Parents are displaying important gaps of knowledge around cyberbullying but even more concerning, children aren’t considering behaviours like jokes and name calling harmful online. Our mission with this research is to inform parents and families of what children are experiencing online and then empower parents to act where appropriate”.

What to do when your child faces cyberbullying:

• Turn to experts – reach out to organisations, such as the National Bullying Helpline, to gather resources and knowledge about the mental health effects of bullying on children.
• Create an environment of open and honest communication within your connected family – Demonstrate to your children that you understand these experiences can happen online, and that you will serve as a source of support and protection in their time of need.
• Produce a family plan in the event of cyberbullying – Unfortunately, cyberbullying can occur to any child with a digital presence. Ensure your family has a plan in place that has been communicated to the children themselves who experience life online and are at risk.
• Educate yourself and children on what it really means to cyberbully – relay the message that making a joke at someone else’s expense or name calling online are types of bullying and understand that today’s definition of cyberbullying is evolving.
• Take action to protect your connected family – McAfee’s family plans include parental controls to help protect your children from inappropriate online behaviour, apps and content and build good digital habits.

This study follow McAfee’s Global Connected Family Study, which was released earlier this year, and revealed cyberbullying among children was one of the biggest vulnerabilities that families face today.

For more global findings, find the full report here.

Survey Methodology

The research was conducted between June 15th – July 5th, 2022, by Market Research Company MSI-ACI via email inviting parents of children in the age 10 – 18 to complete an online questionnaire. In total 11,687 parents and their children completed the survey from 10 countries included the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, India, Canada, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico. The parents were asked if their children between the ages of 10 – 18 years old were available to complete a survey. If yes, the parent was asked to complete a few questions themselves before turning over the survey to their child.

About McAfee

McAfee Corp. is a global leader in online protection for consumers. Focused on protecting people, not just devices, McAfee’s consumer solutions adapt to users’ needs in an always online world, empowering them to live securely through integrated, intuitive solutions that protect their families and communities with the right security at the right moment. For more information, please visit https://www.mcafee.com